The court case of the former Contra Costa County registrar of voters accused of campaign-related felony perjury and grand theft will stretch into the new year, with no preliminary hearing set or plea deal reached.
Joe Canciamilla and his attorney, Michael Rains, are now scheduled to return to Contra Costa County Superior Court on Jan. 20 for possible setting of a preliminary hearing date. Those proceedings will be before Judge Leslie G. Landau, and not in front of Judge Laurel Brady, who presided over a brief hearing Thursday, as well as several earlier ones.
“This will be the very last (such hearing) because we’ve done this at least five times,” Brady told Rains Thursday.
Deputy District Attorney Steve Bolen said there is a reason for the delay.
“He’s trying to figure out how this (outcome) will affect his retirement,” and a possible negotiated plea deal, Bolen said.
Canciamilla has been not only the county registrar of voters, but also was a county supervisor from 1996 until 2000, and is covered by the county’s employee retirement program.
There earlier had been discussion of Canciamilla’s case being resolved at the Thursday hearing. If the case doesn’t resolve by the Jan. 20 date, Bolen said, a preliminary hearing date will be set that day.
Rains did not immediately return a call for comment Thursday afternoon.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office in June 2019 charged the 65-year-old Canciamilla with 30 counts of felony perjury for allegedly making misstatements on 30 separate campaign disclosure forms.
He was also charged with four additional felonies related to grand theft for using nearly $262,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses between 2010 and 2016.
Canciamilla, of Pittsburg and also with a home in Hawaii, resigned as county clerk-recorder in October 2019, and soon thereafter agreed to pay $150,000 to the California Fair Political Practices Commission after
admitting to spending campaign funds on personal expenses such as vacations to Asia, restaurant meals, airfare, repayment of a personal loan and transfers to his personal bank accounts.
Canciamilla pleaded not guilty to the 34 felony counts in July.
Well it appears they are waiting for a Biden pardon
He must have payed millions into the democrats pay to play scheme
Well at least they are free to do as they please
Lol yet the dem following voters get …wait for it
Nothing absolutely nothing
Makes no sense to vote for dem and not get anything in return
What’s that definition of crazy again
The corruption is rampant
Yet no media or politicians seem phased
Not even the republicans of the state
Seems we are the fodder
How is that recount going for California
I hear trump actually won California
But the delegates obviously were democrats
A Biden pardon? He sounds well qualified for a Biden Cabinet position.
A Biden cabinet position! Brilliant!
California Government Code Section 7522 and various subsections require the forfeiture of “all accrued rights and benefits in any public retirement system” by any public employee convicted of a felony “for conduct arising out of or in the performance of his or her official duties, in the pursuit of the office or appointment, or in connection with obtaining salary, disability retirement, service retirement, or other benefits.” No exceptions apply.
Not looking good for him!!!
The rip-off artist is trying to figure out how to screw taxpayers. Unacceptable!
It is my understanding that the forfeiture of accrued rights and benefits only applies to the portion of benefits that are accrued since the time that the transgression can be proved. In other words since the initial transgression occurred in 2010 only that portion of the pension is affected. Any time accrued prior to 2010 would still need to be paid to the transgressor.
Does he want his retirement funds?
He’s a crook. One of the good old boys.
Not unlike all of the other members of the County Board of Supervisors, I suspect.
I don’t believe he should get anything more from the County.
He’s already taken enough from the good people of this County.
Well the position is actually a low pay appointment. The costs of living soared and all the shiny new construction made it hard for him to mobilize. I’m surprised he is not owed extra credit for having to surmount an obsolete bureaucracy #@them.
I would keep this in mind that apparently preliminary hearings and pleas can be delayed 5 times due to personal reasons.
34 Felony Counts and he wants his retirement? Hell no.
34 counts that they can prove? How much more damage did he actually do I wonder..
Per Transparent California, he got paid almost $200k a year. Depending on years of service, he could get upwards of 70% of that a year in retirement.